Stand for an x-ray device



March '25, 1969 H. E. WARDEN STAND FOR AN X-RAY DEVICE Fild Aug. 19, 1966 I NVENTOR: ME. Warden G vgg ATTORNE55 United States Patent 3,434,684 STAND FOR AN X-RAY DEVICE Hans E. Warden, Stockholm-Solna, Sweden, assignor to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, a corporation of Germany Filed Aug. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 573,567 Claims priority, application Sweden, Aug. 20, 1965, 10,925/ 65 Int. Cl. A47g 29/00; F16m 11/06 US. Cl. 248-162 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a stand supporting an apparatus housing, particularly a part of a diagnostic X-ray unit, such as X-ray image intensifier, X-ray generator, or X-ray film changer.

The application of X-ray image intensifiers has made it possible to observe the fluoroscopic image in a bright room at a low dose of X-rays. Owing to this fact, fluoroscopic examinations and the production of radiographs can be performed also in operating theatres, e.g., when nailing the neck of femur. With such operations, it is always desired to obviate the need of removing the patient from the operating table when fluoroscopic examinations are made, i.e., to screen the patient lying on the operating table. Consequently, the accessibility to the operating table from all sides as well as the lengthwise and crosswise movement of the top of the operating table should not be appreciably restricted. Moreover, fluoroscopic examinations should be possible at both, vertical and horizontal beam direction.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a stand supporting an apparatus housing-particularly a part of a diagnostic X-ray unit to be arranged close to the patient-which, with the apparatus housing mounted thereon, can be entirely moved under an examination or operating table, when its front side is in horizontal position (vertical X-ray beam).

It is another object of this invention to design the stand in such a way that the supported apparatus housing can be set to a position with the front side horizontal and to a position with the front side vertical, without adjusting the stand in height.

The stand covered by this invention consists mainly of a holder resting on the floor and extending in upward direction, a bearing block forming the head of the holder, a horizontal swivel arm rotatably supported in said hearing block, connection means between the swivel arm and apparatus housing with this means engaging with the apparatus housing near the lower edge of its front side, and of a device for compensation of the weight of the apparatus housing overhanging at one side.

The horizontal swivel arm with the apparatus housing connected thereto with an overhang at one side and the weight compensating device for this overhang permit the apparatus housing to be turned from a position where its front surface is horizontal and at a rather low level into a position where its front surface is vertical and at a high level. As the bearing for the horizontal swivel arm forms the head of the holder, the stand is free of parts extending over the front surface of the apparatus housing 3,434,684 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 when this surface is in horizontal position. With a suitably selected construction height, the stand with the apparatus housing attached to it can be entirely moved under the top of an operating table and the front surface of the apparatus is then adjacent to the lower side of the table top. In this way, the accessibility to the table top and the possibility of shifting it in lengthwise and crosswise direction are not, at all, restricted. Although the swivel arm for the apparatus housing is at such a low level that the entire stand fits under the top of an examination or operating table, the apparatus housing can be turned upwards in such a way that, without changing the height of the stand, its front surface is entirely above the table top level as required for a fluoroscopic examination with horizontal beam direction.

In order to adapt the height of the stand to tables of different heights, it is advisable to design the stand so that it can be adjusted in height and arrested. A very suitable stand form will be obtained when the holder consists of at least two telescopic columns, each of them being provided with a bearing block for the horizontal swivel arm. The telescopic sections of each column are suitably propped by compression springs capable of lifting entirely, or to a great extent, the considerable weight which the apparatus housing may [have.

It is of advantage to support the holder for the swivel arm at one side of a base structure in such. a manner that the base structure extends in the same direction as the apparatus housing opposite the swivel arm. The base structure may be provided with casters for convenient movement.

As weight compensating device for the apparatus housing arranged alongside the swivel arm, a spring counterpoise system is particularly suitable which is pivoted to one end of a lever whose other end is fastened to the horizontal swivel arm. This spring counterpoise system permits the apparatus housing to be turned around the horizontal arm without much effort.

For supporting an image intensifier which has a height of between 50 and cm., the height of the stand should exceed said height of such an apparatus housing only to a small degree.

To elucidate the invention, the illustration shows a stand to which the housing of an image intensifier is attached. The solid lines display the image-intensifier housing 1 in that position where its front surface 2 with input fluorescent screen 3 of the image-intensifier tube is vertical as required for fluoroscopic examinations with horizontal direction of the X-ray beam. The broken lines display the image intensifier -1 in the turned down position so that its front surface 2 is horizontal.

The stand consists of the rectangular base plate 4, which is provided with 4 casters 5 of which only two are shown. Two columns, each consisting of a. lower rod 6, respectively 7, and an upper tube '8, respectively 9, are mounted at one side of the base plate 4. Tube 8 is provided with a longitudinal slot in the lower end and can be clamped to rod 6 by means of clamp 10. Rod 6 and tube 8, as well as red 7 and tube 9 constitute two telescopic columns on which bearing blocks 12 and 13 are mounted as heads. The horizontal swivel arm 14 is rotatably supported by the two bearing blocks 12, 13. With the aid of connection means 15 and 16, the image-intensifier housing 1 is fastened to this swivel arm 14, close to the lower edge of front surface 2 of the image-intensifier housing. Hence, housing 1 of the image intensifier projects at one side relative to swivel arm 14 so that it can be turned from the position indicated by solid lines into the position indicated by broken lines without being obstructed by the two columns. The two tubes 8 and 9 are interconnected by the bar 17. This ensures that the telescopic columns are always of the same height. Bar 17 is provided with a bearing block 18 for a horizontal shaft 19 to which one end of spring counterpoise system 20 is connected. The spring system 20 serves as a weight balance for the overhangnig casing 1. The other end of the spring counterpoise system 20 holds bearing block 21 for shaft 22. Shaft 22 engages with the end of the single-arm lever 23 whose other end is fastened to the horizontal swivel arm 14. The spring counterpoise system 20 consists of a cylinder 24 having a top cover 24a, a piston 25 movable within the cylinder and having a piston rod 25a, and a compression spring 26 surrounding the piston rod. One end of the spring 26 engages the inner surface of the cover 24a while its other end presses against the piston 25. As already stated, the lower end of the spring system 20 is pivotally connected by a horizontal shaft 19 with a block 18 carried by the plate 17, while at the upper end the piston rod 25a. extends through the cover 24a and is fixed to the block 21 which carries the horizontal shaft 22. The connection between the spring system 20 and the casing 1 which is to be balanced by this system is provided by the lever 23 which is keyed upon the arm or shaft 14 and the free end of which is connected with the shaft 22 which is carried by the bearing block 21. When the casing 1 is swung from the position shown by full lines in the drawing to the position shown by broken lines, the arm 14, and the lever 23 turn clockwise and raise the block 21 along with the piston rod 25a while compressing the spring 26. The compression spring 26 is so dimensioned that its force acting through the single-arm lever 23 on swivel arm 14, with the apparatus housing in the upper position, compensates the force exerted on swivel arm 14 by housing 1 juttingly fastened to arm 14. The tubs 8 and 9 rest on rods 6 and 7 via compression springs 11 and 11'. The lower ends of the springs 11 and 11 engage the upper ends of the rods 6 and 7, respectively while the upper ends of these springs engage the covers of the upper ends of the tubes 8 and 9, respectively. The compression springs 11 and 11 are so dimensioned that they are capable of lifting the image intensifier housing 1 fastened to swivel arm 14 or at least facilitate lifting of the housing considerably.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. In combination with a housing for an X-ray apparatus, a stand comprising a base plate, casters supporting said plate, two spaced telescoping columns, each of said columns comprising a vertical rod having a lower end fixed to said base plate, a vertical tube having a lower end enclosing the upper end of said rod, a bearing block mounted on top of said tube and a coiled spring located in said tube and having a lower end engaging the upper end of said rod and an upper end engaging said bearing block; a horizontal bar extending between said telescoping columns and connected to said rods, a horizontal swivel arm extending between said telescoping columns and having ends pivotally mounted in said bearing blocks, connecting means connecting a lower front edge of said housing to said swivel arm intermediate the ends thereof, and a spring counterpoise system comprising a bearing block carried by said bar, a shaft mounted in the lastmentioned bearing block, a cylinder having a lower portion pivotally mounted upon said shaft, a piston movable within said cylinder, a piston rod connected with said piston, a top cover carried by said cylinder, said piston rod having an end extending through an opening formed in said top cover, a compression spring surrounding said piston rod and having one end engaging said piston and the other end engaging said top cover, a bearing block firmly connected with said end of the piston rod, a shaft carried by the last-mentioned bearing block, and a lever having one end mounted upon the last-mentioned shaft and another end fixed to said swivel arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 769,869 9/1904 Max 248292 XR 1,600,835 9/1926 Manley 248485 XR 2,679,442 5/1954 Koerner et al. 248185 XR 2,845,263 7/1958 Gund 248162 XR 3,172,632 3/1965 Borg 248292 XR 3,325,643 6/1967 Craig et a1. 25O57 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,143,138 4/1957 France.

' FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

